Originally an intersection where the University entryway met Charlottesville's main road, the Corner is now five blocks of student-friendly restaurants and watering holes. Ironically, sobriety initiated the first construction on University Ave - Temperance Hall. Now part of the Medical School, Temperence Hall served as a meeting place for faculty and students opposed to alcohol consumption in 1856.
"There was nothing there [on the Corner]," said Coy Barefoot, author of "The Corner: A History of Student Life at the University of Virginia." "Students went downtown to drink and buy alcohol."
With the arrival of Monticello Cigar Factory, barbershops and more restaurants, students nicknamed the commercial area as "The Corner" in the 1900s. "Corner Kings," or upperclassmen who socialized on the Corner, frequented poolrooms and soda fountains. And the first official bar, The Virginian, arrived in 1923, which offered sodas, food and cigarettes.
However, the Prohibition era (1914-1933 in Virginia) outlawed student alcohol consumption at bars. The Cavalier, closed in 1944, and The Virginian did not serve alcohol until the 1930s and were the only two Corner bars until the end of World War II.
As the University population expanded with the admission of women in the early 1970s, the Corner became the center for social life and drinking.
"With coeducation, there was a need for more social outlets; the entrepreneurial spirit came out, and new bars began to appear," said Bob Canevari, former dean of students from 1970 to 1999. "When I was an undergraduate in the 1950s, there were only two or three bars down on the Corner, because most students drank in the fraternity houses."
Even though Virginia legislators raised the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in 1985, bar merchants continued to enter the popular student district and renovated historic restaurant venues, barbershops and bookstores. Coupe DeVille's is one such project, a remodeled Corner deli and opened in 1986, and Biltmore Grill developed land in 1989 on Elliewood Ave., the former Sleepy Street, ººwhich transformed from hosting historic boardinghouses to nighttime hotspots. Barefoot said the number of Corner bars increased from two in 1950 to 11 establishments in 2000.
Commercial Appeal
More Corner bars meant more drinking venues for undergraduate students. The bars catered to student population, and eager entrepreneurs faced some of the highest rent costs in the city and limited space in the "seller's market."
"Any commercial location that is close to thousands of young people lends itself well to selling alcohol," Barefoot said. "Most every college or university has a place like U.Va.'s Corner nearby."
Each generation of University students popularize different Corner bar - in the last four years, the Greenskeeper and Wing Factory closed their doors, and Jaberwoke and AJ's opened theirs.
"The competition has definitely increased over the years," said Will DeVillier, Coupe DeVille's owner. "Every time something goes up or someone is hot, I feel the pipe getting smaller and smaller."
Robert Berns, AJ's general manager, said the Corner is a difficult place to open a business. In addition to high rent costs, merchants must stomach the initial start-up costs for health regulations and ABC licenses. Also, students already know about well-established bars - new establishments must attract student crowds.
"For a new restaurant on the Corner, it is tough to get lunch and dinner crowds, because students walk around with blinders," Berns said. "But if I was at a college for three years and a new bar came along, I would definitely try it out."
The ABC's of Regulations on the Corner
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control started patrolling the Corner in 1934. ABC enforces Virginia codes in the Corner bar district - there are also joint patrol efforts with University and City of Charlottesville police. In the last 22 years, Roger Stevens, special agent in charge, has increased the number of special agents to four and has responded to numerous complaints in the Corner area.
To obtain a mixed beverage license, merchants must comply with ABC regulations. Becky Gettings, director of public affairs at Virginia ABC, said there are no official bars, just restaurants that serve beer, wine and mixed beverages. Every Virginia establishment with a liquor license must obey the "45 percent rule"
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